New to DAS system

eeyoreali

Mouseketeer
Joined
Sep 15, 2003
Hello! My family (husband, daughter, son, and my parents) will be going to Disney December 2019. My son (5) was diagnosed with speech apraxia, dyspraxia, and has now been diagnosed with ADHA (inattentive) and ASD.

I've been reading everything I can about the DAS system. I understand it can be used on FP+ attractions only and he has to ride the attraction in order to use the DAS. My son is currently 46" and will be able to go on most rides, I worry that he might not want to go on certain ones.

How does rider swap and DAS work. For example, we have a DAS for a ride and he has a meltdown & decides not to ride it, can we still do rider swap? What happens if it's a non-ride swap attraction and all 6 of us are ready to ride, but he has a meltdown?

I want to make sure I'm prepared as possible for anything that can happen.
 
with the DAS you go to the ride and get a return time, then when it is your time to ride you will go back to the FP line your son must ride with the first group of people if you DD is too short then you can get a rider swap for her and someone can wait with her while the first group rides then the person that wait with your DD can ride with two people.

if your son has a meltdown then the CM is not supposed to let you use the DAS pass without him.

if all 6 of you are ready to ride and he decieds not to ride then you can not ride.

I would use FP for anything you think he may not want to ride that your dd or you might want to ride so this way you can still ride it ( you can use rider swap here for sure)
 
Definitely do as Gap stated and get FP+ for rides you don't think he will want to go on, or may chicken out on. Also, perhaps you could watch some YouTube videos beforehand so he isn't so surprised by things, or so you can see things that might trigger a meltdown and avoid them.

Also realize that a DAS is not given for a diagnosis, so you'll have to explain what it is about a standard queue that would make it impossible for your child to access an attraction. That's what you need to tell the CM at guest services :)
 
with the DAS you go to the ride and get a return time, then when it is your time to ride you will go back to the FP line your son must ride with the first group of people if you DD is too short then you can get a rider swap for her and someone can wait with her while the first group rides then the person that wait with your DD can ride with two people.

if your son has a meltdown then the CM is not supposed to let you use the DAS pass without him.

if all 6 of you are ready to ride and he decieds not to ride then you can not ride.

I would use FP for anything you think he may not want to ride that your dd or you might want to ride so this way you can still ride it ( you can use rider swap here for sure)




My daughter is older than my son and can now ride everything there (height wise). My son is the only person in our party that will be too short to ride a few things. My parents might not ride a few of the bigger rides and he can stay with them in those cases.

So, if he has a meltdown on a DAS when it's time to board, we all can't ride and will have to go back and stand in line again to ride - correct?

Can you do ride swap on non-ride swap rides if you have DAS or they are non-ride swap rides period?

The last time we went in 2015, he was 2 1/2, and went on everything he could. There were no big issues, aside from him being scared of the characters. He also wasn't diagnosed with anything at the time. Any reaction he had, we thought was natural kid reaction at the time. He's been pretty good at the local theme park going on rides. I'm hopeful he doesn't have any big meltdowns at Disney.
 
My daughter is older than my son and can now ride everything there (height wise). My son is the only person in our party that will be too short to ride a few things. My parents might not ride a few of the bigger rides and he can stay with them in those cases.

1 So, if he has a meltdown on a DAS when it's time to board, we all can't ride and will have to go back and stand in line again to ride - correct?

2 Can you do ride swap on non-ride swap rides if you have DAS or they are non-ride swap rides period?

The last time we went in 2015, he was 2 1/2, and went on everything he could. There were no big issues, aside from him being scared of the characters. He also wasn't diagnosed with anything at the time. Any reaction he had, we thought was natural kid reaction at the time.
3 He's been pretty good at the local theme park going on rides. I'm hopeful he doesn't have any big meltdowns at Disney.

1. if you go and tap into the FP line he gets to the load area then yes you can leave with just him, ( some on here will say you should all leave but this will be up to you as at this point you will be like any other guest. if before you go into the FP line he has a meltdown then the CM will not let everyone in. ( I hope this made sense)

2 if your son is too short to ride then you can use rider swap but one person will have to wait in the standby line and then the other group can ride, if there is no rider swap then you can not use it.). if there is a part of a line that you do not think your som can handle then I would talk to the CM about your concerns with the line itself as some time there can be things that can be done on a case by case basis.

3 the fact he has been to a local theme park is a good thing. it will help him a lot to know what to expect at Disney

finding a quiet place to wait for a DAS return time can be a big help for anyone but mostly for a child with a disability.
 
The wording for rider switch is that if guests "can’t or don’t want to" ride an attraction. At Disneyland, I've gotten rider swaps for rides that my son was tall enough for but unwilling to ride, though some CMs were more helpful than others.

My 6yo son has similar diagnoses, so a few things that work for us. We still bring a stroller (we have a younger kid as well who mainly uses it) but it's also a good place for him to rest and recharge if things get too hectic. The more excited/overwhelmed/overstimulated he gets, the less he's able to use his verbal abilities, so we just keep an eye on him for when we're getting to that point and then take a rest. He loves drawing, so we make sure we schedule ADRs either places that have crayons and drawing paper or I always bring some for him. Getting him to eat at counter service places can be a bit hit or miss, depending on the crowds and how he's doing that day.

We have him watch videos of any rides that are new to him and then tell him how things'll feel. For instance, he was hesitant to ride GoG/ToT after watching the video, but then I explained that it went up and down (something he LOVES) and he was willing to try it. Rollercoasters are pretty much a definite no for him right now (fear of heights), so we don't even bother.
 
The wording for rider switch is that if guests "can’t or don’t want to" ride an attraction. At Disneyland, I've gotten rider swaps for rides that my son was tall enough for but unwilling to ride, though some CMs were more helpful than others.


I have seen CM that are very understanding of kids that are tall enough but too scared to ride and then I have seen them give a farm no on rider swap. I was in line for FOP when this little one eas scared other guests were begging the CM to give the family a rider swap pass she was so scared to go in the pre-show room all she did was scream and when I say scream I mean scream her mom was trying her best to tell her she was not going to ride. I do get why they only let kids under the hight to skip it, but when a child is so scared even after they expand to her she is not going to ride and they are so scared a CM comes in the room to see what was going on there is something wrong with that.

OP if your son is tall enough to ride I would not plane on getting a DAS return time.
 


The wording for rider switch is that if guests "can’t or don’t want to" ride an attraction. At Disneyland, I've gotten rider swaps for rides that my son was tall enough for but unwilling to ride, though some CMs were more helpful than others.

My 6yo son has similar diagnoses, so a few things that work for us. We still bring a stroller (we have a younger kid as well who mainly uses it) but it's also a good place for him to rest and recharge if things get too hectic. The more excited/overwhelmed/overstimulated he gets, the less he's able to use his verbal abilities, so we just keep an eye on him for when we're getting to that point and then take a rest. He loves drawing, so we make sure we schedule ADRs either places that have crayons and drawing paper or I always bring some for him. Getting him to eat at counter service places can be a bit hit or miss, depending on the crowds and how he's doing that day.

We have him watch videos of any rides that are new to him and then tell him how things'll feel. For instance, he was hesitant to ride GoG/ToT after watching the video, but then I explained that it went up and down (something he LOVES) and he was willing to try it. Rollercoasters are pretty much a definite no for him right now (fear of heights), so we don't even bother.





I'm thinking I want to bring his stroller even though he hasn't used it in about a year. Like you said, it'll serve the purpose for resting & de-escalating if needed. Eating is another issue, he only eats certain things. Sometimes we'll order what he says he wants and then he won't eat at all. I guess we'll have to see how it plays out.
 
Just be aware that "Rider Swap" may be handled at the boarding area if the non-rider is tall enough to enter the queue. It may not be the swap pass received with a too-short child. That may be an issue if the queue is a problem for him.

Rider Swap is technically at rides with a height requirement. You can ask at other rides, but I would not plan on an accommodation there - other than possibly "swapping" at boarding.

I agree with those who suggest planning FP+ for rides he may suddenly change his mind about riding. He will need to scan first for rides you are doing with DAS, and if he changes his mind while in line they may not allow the rest of the party to ride since technically the DAS-holder must ride to use DAS. I suggest having him watch some youtube videos to get an idea of whether he would be OK with the ride; I think BigFatPanda has some good videos including the queue.

Enjoy your vacation!
 
I'm thinking I want to bring his stroller even though he hasn't used it in about a year. Like you said, it'll serve the purpose for resting & de-escalating if needed. Eating is another issue, he only eats certain things. Sometimes we'll order what he says he wants and then he won't eat at all. I guess we'll have to see how it plays out.
bring a small very lightweight blanket so that you can through it over the canopy of the stroller this will give him a cocoon and he will be able to hide in his own space. fidget toys can be a great distraction. ( fidget cubs, silly buddy, flow ring, spinners,
 
We were able to use rider swap at FOP twice with my son who has special needs and is tall enough to ride, but is too scared of the back restraint. The first time we were using a DAS return time and my son flipped out when the back restraint came up. The CM was super nice and understanding and immediately suggested that if I stay on, my husband could rider swap in with my daughter again. The second time all four of us had FP+ times (I got them 60 days out and was NOT giving them up). We could have just done a MagicBand swap which might have been easier, but we went to the rider swap spot and asked if we could. He said to go inside and they’d handle it, which they did, although one CM said it was an “exception.” I said his colleague in the rider swap spot had sent us in, and he seemed fine with it.
 
I'm thinking I want to bring his stroller even though he hasn't used it in about a year. Like you said, it'll serve the purpose for resting & de-escalating if needed. Eating is another issue, he only eats certain things. Sometimes we'll order what he says he wants and then he won't eat at all. I guess we'll have to see how it plays out.

Yeah, I feel you. We bring a ridiculous amount of non-perishable snacks (apples, clementines, grapes, crackers) and sometimes that's all he eats.
 
The wording for rider switch is that if guests "can’t or don’t want to" ride an attraction. At Disneyland, I've gotten rider swaps for rides that my son was tall enough for but unwilling to ride, though some CMs were more helpful than others.

WDW is a bit more strict in that, I guess, maybe because so many people try to trick the system so that they get FP+ access without a the actual FP.
 
WDW is a bit more strict in that, I guess, maybe because so many people try to trick the system so that they get FP+ access without a the actual FP.

I noticed a lot of the examples were FoP, as well. The closest thing to that at DL right now would be RSR, and even that's probably a couple orders of magnitude less insane! I've talked with CMs at City Hall in DL about this before (specifically letting the caregivers of a SN child ride something that the child is technically tall enough for but not capable of doing) and they were adamant that we should be able to use rider switch, but, again, it all depends on what the CM at the ride says. We've done it a few times at DL, but honestly, it's easier for us usually to find something we all can ride (or something we can use rider switch with my shorter kid).
 
The funny thing is FEA has rider swap pass but there is no high requirement for this ride but I have heard at other rides they only give out rider swap to people with too short to ride. I think the best bet is to try and FP one of the rides you really want to do that you are unsure the child might not ride and then for other exsplan your needs to the CM at the ride they might let one group wait in the standby line while the other wait with the child with the DAS out of the line
 
The funny thing is FEA has rider swap pass but there is no high requirement for this ride but I have heard at other rides they only give out rider swap to people with too short to ride. I think the best bet is to try and FP one of the rides you really want to do that you are unsure the child might not ride and then for other exsplan your needs to the CM at the ride they might let one group wait in the standby line while the other wait with the child with the DAS out of the line

We were denied rider swap at FEA when we had a sleeping toddler. It wasn't a big deal for us, and I only asked because I'd seen it posted on here that it was possible at FEA. The CM seemed surprised that I was asking and said they don't ever actually issue rider swap passes there since there's no height requirement. She said because of the drop during the ride, they will allow a swap at boarding for someone who is too scared, but the whole party would still have to wait in line together.

Other CMs may handle it differently, but I wanted to throw that out there so someone else doesn't read it and expect to get a rider swap pass at FEA.
 
We were denied rider swap at FEA when we had a sleeping toddler. It wasn't a big deal for us, and I only asked because I'd seen it posted on here that it was possible at FEA. The CM seemed surprised that I was asking and said they don't ever actually issue rider swap passes there since there's no height requirement. She said because of the drop during the ride, they will allow a swap at boarding for someone who is too scared, but the whole party would still have to wait in line together.

Other CMs may handle it differently, but I wanted to throw that out there so someone else doesn't read it and expect to get a rider swap pass at FEA.
This was over a year ago they had rider swap passes so they might have done away with them.
 
I was in line for FOP when this little one eas scared other guests were begging the CM to give the family a rider swap pass she was so scared to go in the pre-show room all she did was scream and when I say scream I mean scream her mom was trying her best to tell her she was not going to ride.

It is ridiculous that the CM let this happen. Had I been the parent, I would have pulled up the Disney website on my phone and showed him/her the "rules" regarding rider swap.

"If a child does not meet the height requirement or a Guest does not wish to board a particular attraction, no problem! With Rider Switch, one adult can wait with the non-rider (or riders) while the rest of the party enjoys the attraction. When the other adult returns, they can supervise the non-riding Guests, and the waiting adult can board the attraction without having to wait in the regular line again!"

On their website, this is followed by a list of attractions where rider switch is available and Avatar Flight of Passage is included.

I would have had them call as many supervisors as they needed to in order to obtain rider swap in this situation.
 
I would have pulled up the Disney website on my phone and showed him/her the "rules" regarding rider swap.
Except the website doesn’t guarantee the non-rider can skip the queue. If the non-rider is tall enough, often it means a “Swap” at the boarding area, having the full party go through the queue. This seems to happen most on the newest headliners. It’s to curb cheaters, which unfortunately impacts those with legitimate needs to avoid the queue.
 
Except the website doesn’t guarantee the non-rider can skip the queue. If the non-rider is tall enough, often it means a “Swap” at the boarding area, having the full party go through the queue. This seems to happen most on the newest headliners. It’s to curb cheaters, which unfortunately impacts those with legitimate needs to avoid the queue.

I see what your saying. You would do the switch at the boarding area.

I still think it is ridiculous that the CM put a screaming child in the preshow area (and the rooms are small in the FOP preshow), they should use some common sense - I'm sure gap and the rest of the riders were less than thrilled with the situation.
 

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